The Social Security System (SSS) has released more than P15.9 billion in retirement pension to more than 455,000 retirees last year, showing a 9.8 percent increase from the P14.5 billion it released in 2002.

In a report, SSS assistant vice president and spokesman Joel Palacios said the increase was the equivalent of eight percent growth in the number of pensioners as of end 2003 to 455,000 from more than 422,000 in 2002.

"The increase in pension releases is attributed to the continued increase in the number of members retiring every year," Palacios said.

Since 1993, the number of SSS retirement pensioners has been increasing at an average rate of eight percent per year. As of end of 2003, SSS retirees have reach more than 455,000 or about half of the total number of pensioners totaling nearly one million.

SSS pensions include disability, retirement, and death with monthly pensions ranging from P1,000 to more than P14,000, at an average of P2,500. Filipinos have an estimated life span of 73 years for female and 68 years for male.

Palacios said the age-old dependency ratio, which represents financial support given by paying-members for retiree pensioners, has increased to 6.3 percent from 5.4 percent in 2000 and has contributed to the imbalance between contributions and benefit disbursement.

"At present, only 16 actively-paying members are supporting one retiree compared to 19 paying members per retiree back in 2000," he said.

Palacios said the SSS, which adheres the principle of social insurance where contributions are pooled to pay the benefits of its pensioners, would intensify coverage and collection to improve its ability to support future benefit payments.

Saludo reiterated that the government is solidly behind the nation and the Comelec in ensuring clean, honest elections.

The government panel to the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) on peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front has presented to the MILF panel the evidence that the military and the police have gathered against the four MILF members who earlier confessed to their involvement with the international terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI).

At the same time, the government also agreed to give the MILF free access to the apprehended JI suspects for their own inquiry within the next two weeks.

This agreement was reached during the joint meeting of the CCCH held last May 3 and 4 at the Marco Polo Hotel in Davao City.

The four JI suspects —Sammy Abdulgani alias Boy and Abu, Datu Puti Ungka alias Pots, Montasser Ismael alias Raffy, and Badrodin Dalungan, alias Badz— were presented last April 25 to President Macapagal-Arroyo in Davao City. They were arrested in separate operations in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao and Cotabato City and were found to be regular members of the MILF.

Seized from the suspects were four kilos of trinitrotoluene (TNT), 20 rounds of rocket-propelled grenades, 10 rounds of 81-mm mortars, pistols and hand grenades.

During the meeting, the MILF reiterated its continuing stand against the activities of the JI and the Al-Qaeda.

The MILF also condemned all terrorist acts and expressed active support in the government's efforts to neutralize terrorist and other criminal elements in MILF areas and communities.

During the meeting, Lt. Gen. Rodolfo Garcia, GRP CCCH chairperson noted that the MILF elements earlier apprehended had confessed that their involvement with the JI has no sanction from the MILF and that they were acting on their capacity.

The MILF reiterated its apolitical and non-partisan stand in the May 10 elections but it also does not inhibit its members from exercising their political rights.

In compliance with the agreement reached by the government and the MILF peace panels during its 5^th exploratory talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Joint GRP-MILF CCCH conducted its verification on the disposition of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police personnel in Buliok complex.

The GRP panel to the CCCH has committed to implement further compliance with the agreement and conduct regular area visits in Buliok complex.

Both Garcia and his MILF counterpart, Benjie Midtimbang, lauded the efforts and coordinative partnership demonstrated by the joint ceasefire committees that ensured the successful conduct of the nine-day mission of the Malaysian Advance Survey Team of the International Monitoring Team (AST-IMT) last March 23 to 31, 2004.

Both committees acknowledged the positive impact of the AST-IMT visit and called for the immediate deployment of the International Monitoring Team.

Among those who attended the Joint CCCH meeting were GRP CCCH members Ramon Martinez, Army Colonel Ariel Bernardo, Lt. Col. Renoir Pascua, and MILF CCCH members Amsid Sanson, Alibaba Abdullah, Dan Dimakenal, Osama Bin Ali and Hassan Namla.

QUEZON CITY – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today attributed her being the leading presidential candidate in the surveys to her attending caucuses and small rallies on the advice of Quezon City Mayor Feliciano "Sonny" Belmonte.

Speaking at a gathering of barangay chairmen and the local officials with running mate Sen. Noli "Kabayan" de Castro at Quezon City Hall this afternoon, the President said this was the style she used during the 1995 elections when Mayor Belmonte then ran unopposed for Congress.

She is using the same strategy -- going to caucuses and rallies even to the extent of "gatecrashing" -- because she feels welcome and at home with barangay officials, the President said during an unscheduled gathering of local officials at the Bulwagan of the Quezon City Hall.

"This is a proof of your strong cooperation and enthusiastic leadership," the President said, adding that all the ruling party’s candidates in Quezon City will handily win in the May 10 elections.

The President also praised Belmonte who sought funds from the national government not for the city, but for its citizens. "Now I see why he is the most outstanding Mayor," the President said

The President thanked the local officials for attending on such a short notice. Prominent among the 700 to 1,000 attendees were Vice Mayor Herbert "Bistek" Bautista, all barangay captains and QC officials and employees

"Sana pagkatapos ng May 10, sama-sama na naman tayong maglilingkod sa mga mahihirap dito sa Quezon City (I wish that after the May 10 elections, we will again serve together the poor of Quezon City)," the President said.

We are quite please with the most recent Pulse Asia survey.

This confirms that President Gloria continues to pick up steam as we approach election day.

But as we have said time and again in the past, the most important survey will occur on May 10.

Five days before E-day, the trend seems to be becoming irreversible for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

In the latest opinion poll conducted by Pulse Asia April 26 to 29, the President has pulled further ahead of actor Fernando Poe Jr. with a 37 percent support level, up from 34 percent from the previous poll. Poe remained at 31 percent.

The survey, which polled 1,800 respondents, had Sen. Panfilo Lacson running third at 11 percent and Sen. Raul Roco slipping to fourth. Evangelist preacher Eddie Villanueva was last with five percent.

In the vice presidential race, Sen. Noli "Kabayan" de Castro continued to lead opposition standard bearer Loren Legarda 46 percent to 37 percent. Hermie Aquino is running third at 3 percent.

Although eight percent of the voters remained undecided going into Monday’s elections, they are no longer expected to alter the outcome since their votes are not expected to go into one single candidate.

Similar surveys by the Social Weather Stations and NFO Trends showing the President comfortably ahead shored up the battered peso and tightened yields on the country’s $61 billion in foreign and domestic debt.

The last SWS survey had President Macapagal-Arroyo leading Poe 35.3 percent to 30.8 percent while the NFO Trends poll had her ahead by a bigger 10.5 percent margin over the actor, 36.5 to 26 percent.

Earl Parreno, a commentator and trustee at the Institute of Political and Electoral reforms, said President Macapagal-Arroyo seems to be unreachable going into Monday’s polls.

"The figures will no longer change," he assessed. "The undecided votes will no longer matter because they won’t all go to a single candidate."

Poe, who led early in the campaign bolstered by his screen hero image, let it all slipped away by shunning interviews and refusing to give details of how he intends to lead the nation. Without a solid platform, he refused to participate in presidential debates and antagonized media with his temper.

The President, campaigning on a platform of performance and experience, slowly inched up on Poe before finally forging ahead with a month to go in the campaign.

The results of all surveys considered, the President is now reportedly aiming for the highest mandate possible, even aiming to surpass the 39 percent winning margin of deposed President Joseph Estrada in the 1998 presidential elections.

"This is where I will pick up majority votes from now till election day, the President told a group of K-4 leaders Tuesday during a campaign sortie in Pili, Camarines Sur. "The last six days of the campaign will carry our determination to unify the country behind the fight for change. We are taking no voter for granted and we will strive to shake hands with everyone we meet."

Presidential Campaign Spokesperson Michael Defensor said the President’s goal of garnering at least 51 percent of the votes is attainable given the exodus of politicians and supporters who have decided to defect to the administration camp.

"Now we are expecting that President Arroyo will match this (Estrada’s 39 percent) or even surpass it to have a clear mandate for the President and to have stability in the years to come, " Defensor said.

Although analysts have expressed skepticism that this could be achieved, others believe that a swing vote from the block voting Iglesia ni Cristo as well as the El Shaddai could make it all happen.

A farmers’ group today reiterated their sector’s support to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo whose administration had spent billions of pesos in agriculture, causing the irrigation of more farmlands throughout the country.

Vic Fabe, chairperson of the Pambansang Kilusan ng Samahang Magsasaka (PAKISAMA) that counts a membership of about 20,000 farmers engaged in rice, copra and sugarcane farming in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, said that the farmers sector has decided to throw their support behind President Arroyo now that the presidential fight has shaped up into a two-way fight between her and movie actor Fernando Poe, Jr.

"Majority of our affiliates support the President especially now that the presidential fight is between her and FPJ," Fabe said in an interview.

Fabe revealed that in a conference last December, PAKISAMA farmers had agreed to limit their support to either the President or former education secretary and Senator Raul Roco.

Fabe said that their coconut farmer members are especially happy with the Arroyo administration’s successful fight spearheaded by the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) for the control of coconut oil mills owned by the Coconut Industry Investment Fund (CIIF) previously controlled by businessman Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco.

Because of government control of the five CIIF oil mills, the monopoly of copra milling has been broken resulting to the jump in the farmgate price of copra which now stands at P20 to P22.

During the time of deposed President Joseph Estrada from 1998 to 2000, Fabe said that the farmgate price of copra dropped to P6 and even as low as P3.

The allotment of more than P20 billion pesos a year to the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) with a special budget allocated for irrigation of farmlands was also very beneficial to rice farmers.

Fabe said that the negative television advertisements of FPJ showing a farmer expressing support for the movie actor Poe and opposition against GMA had no basis.

With only three days left in the campaign period, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her K-4 team today shifted to high gear their sortie with a 50-vehicle convoy traversing Metro Manila’s busiest thoroughfares.

Upon arrival at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City from Bicol region where she staged the first leg of a "Caravan for Unity" that cut across Albay and Camarines Sur provinces, the President motored to Plaza Lacson in Sta. Cruz, Manila, then proceeded to Divisoria in Tondo passing along Rizal and Recto Avenues.

Joining President Arroyo in her metro-wide stump were running mate Sen. Noli "Kabayan" de Castro and movie-television actress Kris Aquino. Pro-administration Manila Mayor Lito Atienza also escorted the President in her Manila blitz.

The convoy later proceeded to Quezon City via Roxas Blvd., J.P. Laurel Street, Ramon Magsaysay Blvd., Araneta Ave. and Quezon Ave., reaching Quezon City hall in time for Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo’s luncheon meeting with local barangay leaders.

The convoy then proceeded to Barangay Silangan and Payatas, all in Quezon City.

Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte, Vice Mayor Herbert Bautista and congressional candidate Berna Romulo-Puyat joined President Macapagal-Arroyo and De Castro at the meeting with the barangay officials.

Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo thanked the barangay officials for attending the luncheon meeting on short notice. "This is proof of your strong cooperation and enthusiastic leadership," the President said.

The Time Magazine article confirms what we have said all along.

This election is not about personality. It is about knowing the people’s problems, providing answers and the experience to carry out solutions.

This election is about the people wanting to be treated with respect and seriousness.